Alaa Shehada / Playwright & Actor

Alaa Shehada is a Palestinian theatre maker and actor whose work blends physical comedy, stand-up, and mask performance. A graduate of The Freedom Theatre Acting School in Jenin Refugee Camp – an institution nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 – Shehada uses humor and storytelling to amplify Palestinian experiences on global stages.

His critically acclaimed solo show The Horse of Jenin offers a moving and humorous reflection on his upbringing in Jenin and has been performed internationally. In 2025, he joined comedian Bassem Youssef on stage and delivered a TEDx London talk alongside comedian Nish Kumar.

Shehada is the co-founder of the Palestine Comedy Club, a pioneering platform for Palestinian comedians to share their stories and culture. Their journey is documented in Palestine Comedy Club, which premiered at SXSW London and received the Spirit of Raindance Award 2025.

Beyond the stage, Shehada serves as a Clown Doctor with Red Noses International in the West Bank and leads theatre workshops throughout Palestine and abroad. He is also a member of Troupe Courage in Amsterdam, specializing in mask theatre.

Shehada has performed internationally in the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, Turkey, and the U.K. He has collaborated with renowned directors such as Amir Nizar Zuabi, Di Trevis, and Katrien van Beurden. His previous honors include the Jury Award at the International Festival of Liberal Theatre in Jordan (2019), Best Show at the Palestinian National Theatre Festival (2018), and Best Script Co-Writer for London Jenin (2019).

Troupe Courage / Producer, Netherlands

Troupe Courage is an international acting collective that produces performances and conducts workshops worldwide. They create a very virtuoso theater, using archetypal masks to play characters from all walks of life. In a completely empty space with live music, the actors manage to enchant the audience with their transformations and bring collected stories to life in the imagination of the viewer. Stories about how everyone tries to survive in today’s world, which can be both tragic and primal. Troupe Courage creates high-level popular theater in which the actor’s drive and ingenuity flourish and where the energy and enjoyment of acting shine through. https://www.troupecourage.com/en

55B Productions / Tour Producer, North America

55B Productions curates and produces live arts and events that foster intercultural exchange. Led by theatre artist Jenny Tibbels, 55B partners with artists to develop new, multidisciplinary projects that expand our thinking and deepen audience engagement. Named after the brain region that lights up when we hear stories, 55B reflects a deep belief in storytelling as a spark for social transformation and connection. Affiliated artists include Alaa Shehada, Caborca, Tate Strategy, and Danielle Russo Performance Project. 55b.org

Katrien van Beurden / Co-Director

Katrien van Beurden is the founder of Troupe Courage and studied at the acting school of the School of Arts Utrecht (HKU), then at The University of Montana Fine Arts Dept in the USA, where she studied under Carol O’Connor. She also specialized in commedia dell’arte with renowned masters such as Antonio Fava in Italy. She has shared her unique acting style worldwide at venues such as The Freedom Theatre in Jenin, Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, Act Fit Change in Ghana, Amsterdam’s Drama and Contemporary Music Theatre (ATKA), the Netherlands Film Academy and the Drama Department of the University of Bombay.

Besides her work in theatre, Van Beurden has also worked as a music director. Among others, with Remy van Kesteren at the Concertgebouw, Dominique Vleeshouwers, and Arend Bruijn.  As an actress, she starred in films such as ‘De Wederopstanding van een Klootzak’ and ‘Zomer zonder Mamma’, and on television in the Golden Calf-winning series ‘Rampvlucht’.  In 2017, she was invited by Routledge Publishers to write the concluding chapter in a book on masters of commedia dell’arte. Her contribution, praising her as a visionary and innovator, has gained international acclaim. A highlight of her career was organizing a major festival in Italy in 2010, bringing together icons such as Dario Fo, the Sartori and LeCoq families, and Mummenschanz.

In 2023, Katrien van Beurden was knighted in the Order of Orange-Nassau, in recognition of her social commitment and her years of work with Troupe Courage, with which she has made an impression worldwide.

Thomas van Ouwerkerk / Co-Director

Thomas van Ouwerkerk studied acting at the School of Arts Utrecht (HKU) 2011. Since then, he has specialized in physical acting. He studied clowning at L’Ecole Philippe Gaulier in Paris and attended workshops at École internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq, among others. In addition to his role as artistic core member of Troupe Courage, he works as an actor and theatre maker with several companies. Since 2012, he has been associated with Jakop Ahlbom Company and was in the original cast of the show Horror, performing worldwide at venues such as the Sydney Opera House and Théâtre Paris-Villette.  Since 2016, he has worked with the international theatre company Familie Flöz in Teatro Delusio (2016) and FESTE (2021), performing in over 400 theatres across Europe and beyond, including in Milan, Naples, Santiago and Beijing. He also is part of the collective ‘Thomas, Sacha and Jos’ with Jos Nargy and Sacha Muller, performing Toon Tellegen’s work in theatres and festivals in the Netherlands since 2013.

Sam Beale / Co-Writer and Stand-Up Comedy Consultant

Dr. Sam Beale is a comedy director, researcher, writer and teacher who works with comedians, solo performers and theatre/circus companies to develop comedy material, direct comic performances and script shows. For over 25 years she has taught comedy and solo performance practices in Higher Education in the UK and facilitated collaborative socially engaged comedy projects in a range of international contexts. She is director of Funny Side Collective (https://funnyside.co.uk/), co-founder/co-artistic director of Palestine Comedy Club (PalCom:  https://www.palestinecomedyclub.com/), and has worked with Alaa Shehada since 2017, creating and touring comedy shows in Palestine and the UK. Sam also researches and writes about the history and practice of comedy for academic publications and speaks about comedy and social change at international conferences. She is the author of The Comedy & Legacy of Music Hall Women 1880-1920: Brazen Impudence and Boisterous Vulgarity (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020) and is currently working on a book about socially engaged comedy projects around the world (Routledge, 2026).

Den Durand / Maskmaker

Den Durand has been designing and making leather theater masks since 1980, after graduating from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des métiers d’Art in Paris. Since 1985, he has worked professionally in this endeavor. Durand collaborates with numerous conservatories and theater schools worldwide and manufactures masks for various theater companies. He maintains a fruitful collaboration with the Amsterdam company Troupe Courage. In addition to his work as a maker, Den Durand performs as a masked actor and practices the art of acting with masks.

Remy van Kesteren / Composer/Musician

Remy van Kesteren was admitted to the Utrecht Conservatoire at the age of ten, where he studied with Erika Waardenburg and in 2010, graduated with high distinction. He continued his education at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, studying with renowned harpist Isabelle Moretti. In 2012, he received his master’s degree ‘summa cum laude’ from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Praised by The New York Times as a ‘brilliant harpist’, Remy built an international, award-winning career, performing in concert halls around the world, winning a worldwide major international harp competition in 2013. At the age of 25, Remy experienced restlessness, and a sense that something was not quite right. The lure of the harp pulled him in a new direction. After winning the Dutch Music Prize in 2016 with his cross-genre album Tomorrow Eyes, he went from playing with world-renowned orchestras to performing in clubs and pop festivals, both solo and with his band Analogue Robot Orchestra, exploring and stretching the limits of his instrument. Whether collaborating on dance (Het Nationale Ballet in 2014 & 2017), film (with Oscar-winning director Michael Dudok De Wit), or mixing genres with singer-songwriters, producers and DJs, Remy continues to find fresh and creative ways to push the boundaries of his harp playing. His own music has generated more than 12 million streams on Spotify alone in 182 different countries.

Khalil Al Batran / Composer/Musician

Khalil Al Batran s a Palestinian theater director, actor, and musician with a degree in Drama and Theater from the Academy of Theatre and Drama in Ramallah and Folkwang University of the Arts in Germany. He began as an actor, later integrating music into theater and transitioning to directing in 2019. In 2021, he co-founded Athar Group for Independent Theater Production. Khalil is a certified theater trainer, in voice, movement, and performance techniques and has taught at The Freedom Theater school in Jenin. His recent acting work includes Corpse Under the Rubble, and directing projects include I Will Betray My Country, Brainwashers, Bridge, and Strange Identity. Fulana and Still Waiting.

Maarten Bos / Dramaturg

Maarten Bos graduated from the Master Dramaturgy at the University of Amsterdam in 2018. As a dramaturg, he has since worked for several national and international theatre makers and companies, including: Werkplaats van de Woestijne, De Jonge Honden, Troupe Courage and Tryater. As a core team teacher at the Amsterdam’s Drama and Contemporary Music Theatre (ATKA), he teaches dramaturgy. In addition, Maarten is active as a writer of short stories, with which he gives read-aloud performances on stages across the country. In 2019, he made the successful podcast Talking about Depression for which he talked to professionals and experts about their experiences with mental health.

Roderick Bredenoord / Designer/Tech

Roderick Bredenoord is a multifaceted professional in the performing arts, with extensive experience in acting, directing, theater education, production, and stage technology. His broad background seamlessly combines artistic expertise with organizational skills, making him a versatile force in the theater world. He pursued his studies in acting at MBO Artiest, directing and acting in Amsterdam, and theater education in Maastricht. This diverse educational foundation has equipped him for a career where he effectively integrates his artistic vision with his organizational capabilities. Roderick is currently affiliated with Theaterfestival de Parade, Het Nationale Theater, and Troupe Courage. As of January 2025, he will be production manager for Schuldig Kind by Het Nationale Theater and executive producer for Theaterfestival de Parade.

Monique Bos / Business Manager

Monique Bos was an account manager in the advertising industry and editorial coordinator and editor-in-chief at two major Dutch magazines to the world of environmentalism, sustainability, and nature, where she worked as a project manager at two public benefit organizations (Milieubende and Gezond Natuur Wandelen). At Milieubende, she developed interactive theater projects and workshops in which a group of actors playfully raised awareness among younger generations about environmental issues such as climate change, waste, and sustainability. Since January 2022, she has been the Business Manager at Troupe Courage.

Sacha Muller / Artistic Associate

Sacha Muller is an actor and theatremaker with a great love for physical, visual and musical theater. Since the founding of Troupe Courage, he has been a permanent part of that artistic team, with whom he creates and performs shows at home and abroad.  He also performs with several theater companies in the Netherlands including: Theatergroep Aluin, Het Filiaal Theatermakers, Bonte Hond, MaasTD and Ulrique Quade Company.  Together with Thomas van Ouwerkerk and Jos Nargy he forms the makers collective ‘Thomas, Sacha and Jos’, with whom he made last season the successful productions ‘Twee oude vrouwtjes’, after the book of the same name by Toon Tellegen.

Thomas Kilpper / Visual Artist

Thomas Kilpper visited the West Bank in 2003, and with a group of young people, welded a horse made of scrap metal from destroyed houses, cars, and an ambulance. This sculpture became known as The Horse of Jenin. Kilpper collaborates with communities, drawing on local stories to present a more nuanced view of history, and works site-specifically across media including installation, sculpture, graphics, photography, and video. His works are in the collections of the Tate Gallery, London, Museum of Modern Art, Frankfurt, British Library, London and South London Gallery amongst others.